Johnny Sauter, Haas CNC Racing teaming up again this weekend

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Johnny Sauter is returning to Haas CNC Racing at Phoenix International Raceway.

Stephen Dunn
Getty Images

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Johnny Sauter hopes to race a NASCAR Sprint Cup car at one of his favorite tracks this weekend.

Sauter will replace Tony Raines in the No. 70 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet at Phoenix International Raceway. Sauter, who has three top-10s in 75 career Cup starts, has a pair of ninth-place finishes at the track but will need to make the race based on qualifying speed.

“It’s been a good race track for me,” Sauter said. “It’s a place I always look forward to going. It’s a good short track. It races well for me. I relish the opportunity to go there.”

Sauter started the 2008 season driving for Phoenix Racing in the Nationwide Series, but he and the team parted ways after five races. He has 12 Nationwide starts and eight Cup starts this year.

“2008 has probably been the most challenging yet depressing season that I’ve had so far,” Sauter said. “I just chalk it up to a character-building year. If it was easy, everybody would do it. … You do the best you can with what you’re doing, and if it works out, it works out.”

Obviously still looking for a 2009 ride, Sauter hopes to find something in one of NASCAR’s three national series next year, including the Truck series, which he has never competed in a full-time basis.

“I’ll race anything,” Sauter said. “I’ve always been that way. Truck series racing is a blast.
“At the end of the day, with the way things are with the economy and teams and the situations and struggles they’re going through, to have a job and be going to the race track every week is legitimately all you can ask for.”

So what does he need to do at Phoenix?

“The way I look at it legitimately is go to Phoenix, make the race and race like there’s no tomorrow,” Sauter said. “That’s the way I look at it.”